Progesterone cream 101

Many women that are about to reach the age of menopause have heard about progesterone cream, and have heard about the good things it can do. In some cases the effect sound almost miraculous, so you may be wondering what it is all about – what is it, what does it do, and does it really work? And last but not least, is it safe? Here are the answers you are looking for.

What is progesterone?
Progesterone is a hormone produced by your body, and it plays an important part when it comes to for example pregnancy. Furthermore, it supports your adrenal glands, thyroid and healthy blood sugar.

Why do you need it?
In the years before your menopause starts, the progesterone levels in your body will drop. So will your estrogen levels, but they will not drop as fast as the progesterone levels. The result of this is a hormonal imbalance in your body, and this can cause cause unpleasant symptoms like mood swings, anxiety, sore breats, bloating, irritability and headaches, and a number of other symptoms, but it can also cause more serious conditions like breast cancer in women (and prostate cancer in men).

Does it work?
Studies done at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1999, showed that about 83% of the test subjects experienced reduction or total elimination of hot flashes when using bioidentical cream. Furthermore, other clinical studies have shown weight loss, significant reduction in uterine fibroids and a reversal of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and endometriosis – not only to be greatly improved but actually reversed when using bioidentical progesterone.

What kind of progesterone cream should I use?
The cream you need to use to reduce or eliminate the symptoms described here, is a bioidentical progesterone cream. It is not any cream you can buy in any local drug store, and it is not just any wild jam cream – you must make sure it is bioidentical.To be sure of this look at the label – it will say “USP”. A recommended bioidentical progesterone cream that is labeled USP, is Natpro. Bioidentical means that is has the same molecular structure as the progesterone your body produces itself. Creams that are not natural and instead are a substitute will not work the same way, and it can have side effects and be dangerous.

Is it safe?
There is no evidence that USP natural progesterone is unsafe, and many doctors will tell you that it is completely and totally safe. Others will tell you it is safe, but that you should be careful to follow the directions given to you.

Companies selling these products are quite often not too good at answering questions from the consumers. Surprisingly, some of the questions we see over and over again are about the most fundamental things about the product. Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions and the answers:

What is progesterone?
Progesterone is a hormone which both male and female bodies produce. The reproductive cycle in women is regulated by this hormone, and one of the most important functions of progesterone is to balance the estrogen levels in the body. If your body does not produce enough progesterone, your estrogen levels will go up and this can lead to breast cancer in women and prostrate cancer in men. Furthermore, it can lead to depression, unregulated blood sugar and osteoporosis among other things.

Why should I use progesterone cream?
The doctor often prescribe progesterone cream to treat the condition in women that are experiencing menopausal og pre-menopausal symptoms. The cream supplies the progesterone the body needs, and most women will have to use this at one point or another. The progesterone production in the body is drastically decreased once the menstrual cycle stops. The estrogen levels will go down as well, but not as much as the progesterone. The condition your body will be in at that point can in fact be dangerous, and can cause breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Luckily, it is very easy to treat this condition with progesterone cream.

Where should I apply progesterone cream?
Progesterone cream should be used on the areas of the body which blush, for example the cheeks, neck, breasts and buttocks. The cream is absorbed by the subcutaneous fat and the progesterone enters the bloodstream through blood capillaries.

Is it possible to overdose it?
It is not dangerous to use too much progesterone cream, but like all medicines, it should be used in precisely the recommended dosage. Overdosing can cause drowsiness, so it is not dangerous if you do it by accident from time to time. You are however wrong if you believe that you will have a faster recovery using more cream – this can cause hormone imbalances.

Some of the symptoms a woman can experience before and during menopause:

- Night sweats
- Hot flashes, flushes and/or cold flashes
- Periods become irregular
- Decrease in libido
- Vaginal dryness
- Mood swings
- Bouts of rapid heart beat
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Hair loss
- Sleep disorders
- Disorientation, difficulty concentrating, mental confusion
- Loss of balance, dizziness, lightheadedness
- Incontinence
- Weight gain
- Changes in body odor
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Breast pain
- Headaches
- Memory lapses
- Increased bleeding in the gums
- Itchy skin
- Osteoporosis
- Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, digestive problems, nausea, gas pain, flatulence
- Pain in muscle, tendons and joints

Furthermore, women with low progesterone can get breast cancer, and men can get prostate cancer. Yes, men can have too little progesterone as well.

This might sound like a lot to handle, but things do not have to become as bad as it sounds. The reason for the majority of these symptoms is excessive estrogen, and this can be treated with progesterone cream.

Women using natural progesterone cream will usually experience that it helps against hot flushes, depression, bloating and weight gain from water retention, breast tenderness, headaches, migraines, dizziness, heart palpitations, mood swings, anger, skin problems, nausea, tiredness, chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia and aches in muscles and tendons.